Leon Pryce: Injuries will determine who wins Super League

Apr 14 2008 Liverpool Daily Post

ST HELENS stand-off Leon Pryce believes the side which suffers least with injuries this season will win the engage Super League title.

Saints have struggled in recent weeks with forwards Nick Fozzard, Lee Gilmour, James Graham and Keiron Cunningham on the sidelines.

The Challenge Cup holders returned to winning ways on Friday night with a clinical 10-try demolition of Harlequins.

The 58-12 success ended a dismal run of three straight defeats and saw normal service resumed at Knowsley Road.

Cunningham is set to return to action against London Skolars in the Challenge Cup next Sunday and talismanic skipper Paul Sculthorpe made a successful return to action against Harlequins.

Great Britain international Pryce said: “It seems quite a while since we’ve had a happy changing room at the end of a match and it was nice to get back to winning ways.

“I’ve always felt that we’ve not been that far away from playing well.

“But with the amount of injuries we’ve had this year we’ve made it very hard for ourselves.

“I think this year’s competition will be about who can keep their best team on the field and stay injury-free.

“Whoever can do that has the best chance of winning the most games because the teams who have picked up quite a lot of injuries have struggled.

“You look at Hull and ourselves and Bradford, we’ve all struggled when we’ve had injuries, so it’s tough.

“But we’ll get on with it and hopefully our young kids will come in and do a job for us.

“And when we get our big boys back we’ll be confident of winning more games.”

Master craftsman Pryce, who claimed a hat-trick of tries against Harlequins, believes the salary cap has made Super League more competitive.

“I think you’re starting to see the full effect of the salary cap,” added Pryce.

“The teams are evening out and every team can beat each other.”